A Comparative Clinical Trial Evaluating the Effect and Safety of Tacrolimus Versus Hydrocortisone

A Comparative Clinical Trial Evaluating the Effect and Safety of Tacrolimus Versus Hydrocortisone in Management of Atopic Dermatitis in Children

One of the most frequent skin conditions is atopic dermatitis (AD), characterized by its pruritic inflammation effect. Where the prevalence of AD increased in the last three decades by two or three folds worldwide, especially in developed countries, AD is supposed to affect about 15% to 30% of children, and 2% to 10% of adults. This type of dermatitis is frequently linked to a family history of other atopic illnesses such as allergic rhinitis or asthma.

50 patients will be treated with a thin layer of 0.03% topical tacrolimus ointment on the affected areas twice daily for 4 months.

50 patients will be treated with a thin layer of 1% hydrocortisone cream on the affected areas twice daily for 4 months.

tacrolimus is an immunosuppressive drug acting as an immunomodulator to assist manage acute flares and reducing the severity of future flares

Topical corticosteroids (TCS) are the cornerstone for the management of AD to which other treatments are compared.

To compare the impact of topical tacrolimus ointment to topical hydrocortisone cream by measuring inflammatory cytokine levels in the blood.

To compare the impact of topical tacrolimus ointment to topical hydrocortisone cream by measuring inflammatory cytokine levels in the blood such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-10.

Inclusion Criteria: Male or female, 2-16 years old AD patients. Exclusion Criteria: patients diagnosed with other skin disorders of serious type and who are taking systemic corticosteroids or anti-inflammatory medications.